‘Heart full of love’: 8th grader killed in hit-and-run while crossing major highway on Valentine’s Day

OBERLIN, La. (KPLC/Gray News) - An eighth grader in Louisiana was killed in a hit-and-run on Valentine’s Day, authorities said.

Kulyn Brooks Manuel, 14, was hit while crossing a major highway on an electric bicycle.

He was named eighth grade Student of the Year at Oberlin High School in October. He was a multi-sport athlete and an altar boy at his church, his family said.

According to a GoFundMe page, Kulyn was a young man with big dreams, a contagious smile and a heart full of love.

Investigators believe a white dually truck hit the teenager and drove away. Allen Parish Crime Stoppers announced around noon Monday that they arrested a suspect: Ethan Trahan, 22, of Reeves.

Trahan was booked into the Allen Parish Jail on a count of hit-and-run. His bond has not been set.

Kulyn’s family calls the hit-and-run a senseless act as they trying to make sense of this unimaginable loss.

“My mind is just all fogged up… I can’t think. I’m just going to miss him. I loved him," said Kulyn’s great-grandmother, Elaine Walker. “He meant the world. I just loved him dearly.”

“He was just a joy. He was a shining star, and that was taken from our family. He had such a bright future, and he was going to be something, and he was going places,” said Kulyn’s great aunt, Denise Walker.

The GoFundMe fundraiser was created to help Kulyn’s family with funeral expenses.